A woman who lives with “no rent, no bills, and no worries” has shared how she does it.
Tara Little was struggling to keep up with rent and couldn’t find work before she found the perfect solution – becoming a full-time housesitter.
Now, she’s transformed her life and doesn’t worry about bills and rent, as she spends her days caring for other peoples’ homes.
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“The best part of house-sitting is being able to live in solitude and without the stress of paying rent or bills,” Tara, who is from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, told What’s The Jam.
“No waking up to housemates slamming doors or clanging kitchen pots, and no bickering over who left their dirty dishes in the sink!
“On top of this, I enjoy beautiful homes, spend time with adorable animals, and most importantly, I save money.”
The 25-year-old says she was paying $200AUD (around £105) a week in rent and struggling to find work after moving to a new area, before discovering housesitting and launching her own business as a social media manager.
Tara says housesitting “took away the stress of paying rent or bills” and allowed her to focus on building her business.
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She added: “Another appeal of house-sitting for me was very much the fact that I would not have to live with anyone else.
“I have had some horrible past experiences living in shared houses, and am so grateful that house-sitting has given me the opportunity to live independently.”
Tara sets her own daily rate, finding regular clients via two platforms, and sets up meetings with them to go over the layout of the house, routines with any pets and exchange keys.
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Alternatively, she posts on Facebook groups and shares her availability for people searching for a housesitter.
She has now house-sat in almost every suburb across her city and says a recent home in a rural area she hadn’t explored before is one of her favourites so far.
Tara said: “[It was] a beautiful three-bedroom home with a pool, so peaceful and surrounded by nature.
“On the drive out there, I saw a huge water buffalo and passed so many waterholes and lagoons that, with no doubt in my mind, are occupied by crocodiles!”
According to Tara, each house-sit is different and the rules often depend on the house owner and are shared with her during a meet-and-greet before the stay.
She added: “Some past house-sits I have been limited to leaving the house, as the pets are prone to distressed behaviours caused by separation anxiety or fear of thunder and lightning.
However, these kind of house-sits are a rarity.
“My biggest and most repeated rule is ‘no parties’, which is quite an easy rule to follow as an introvert.”
She says the profession comes with its downsides too – particularly that she can only bring a certain amount of things along with her.
She said: “Living out of three suitcases is the biggest challenge I face as a house-sitter, especially as someone who loves fashion and trinkets.
“I’ve had to learn to minimise my wardrobe and stop indulging in buying useless things. House-sitting has shown me how much we all participate in overconsumption and has forced me to make better choices in spending.
“My second biggest trial as a house-sitter has been the moving process.
“I have thankfully gotten used to it, but some days are still a challenge; the last days of a house-sit are the hardest because it usually involves the most tedious and painful tasks- cleaning the house, packing the suitcases and loading the car.”
She claims cancellations are also high on the list of issues she’s faced in the past.
Tara said: ”It can be difficult to secure a new house-sit when cancellations occur, especially at the last minute!
“I’m lucky I have amazing family and friends living in Darwin that are happy to take me in when this happens!”
However, she claims the perks outweigh the challenges – and saving money is high on the list of reasons she adores her job.
Instead of bills, rent and other expenses that would come with renting or owning a home, Tara focuses on saving money and indulging in other things.
She added: “Because of my lifestyle as a house-sitter, there’s honestly not much I can buy.
“I can no longer indulge in buying things that I used to, like clothes and trinkets, because I don’t have a home of my own to store them.
“I save most of my money, which is great!
“However, this past February, I did spend some money to make a trip to New Zealand to visit family.
“Other than occasional travel, my money is spent on boring everyday life things like groceries and car expenses.”
Tara estimates she has saved around $10,000AUD (£5,298) a year in rent and bills since she began housesitting, in comparison to what she was spending on rent beforehand.
She added: “Now, I make money from house-sitting.
“I generally charge between $10 and $20 a night, and on occasion, I accept free house-sits.
“This past year, I have made over $5000 from house-sitting.
“I’ve definitely gained much more from my lifestyle as a house-sitter.
“The only loss is the comfort of living in one place.”
Tara says that she has no plans to stop housesitting anytime soon.
She added: “My future plans involve buying a van and travelling across Australia.
“I would love to take care of people’s pets and homes when and where I can find house-sitting opportunities, and stay in my van in between house-sits.
“This is my dream.
“I definitely plan to take advantage of my glowing reviews and use them to apply for house-sits overseas!
“I actually just recently joined house-sitting groups in New Zealand, and it looks very promising!”
